Matching Pairs English language timelineOnline version Match the events to the times - if you are not sure, guess! by Ruth North 1 By 1000 AD 2 The 20th Century 3 In the 1100s 4 1380s 5 1066 6 1948 7 From the 19th century to the 1930s 8 From 793 AD 9 1500 onwards 10 1476 11 1611 12 1980s onwards 13 By 400 BC 14 From the 1800s 15 1828 16 1977 17 From the 1600s until the late 1800s 18 From 55 BC 19 1755 20 From 449 AD Noah Webster’s American English dictionary is published, showing that two dialects are emerging: American English and British English. The King James Bible is published in English. Celtic languages are spoken all over the islands of Britain and Ireland Crusaders returning from what is now the Middle East bring back Arabic words amid the spoils of war. Words such as damask, assassin, divan and kiosk enter English. William Caxton introduces the printing press. The Normans invade England under William the Conqueror. Norman French is established as the language of the ruling classes and Anglo-Saxon is relegated to the lower classes. The technological revolution brings thousands of new words such as telephone, microchip, computer and aerospace into the language. Telecommunications, the entertainment industry and war bring American English to the world: English becomes a global language. Viking raids begin in earnest with the sacking of monasteries in Northumberland. Over the next 250 years Old Norse elements of language become blended with Anglo-Saxon. The Voyager spacecraft takes a message in English out beyond our solar system. The Industrial Revolution brings new technical and social words to English. More widespread education means that writers of popular fiction like Charles Dickens have a readership. The Empire Windrush arrives at Tilbury carrying 492 passengers from Jamaica wishing to start a new life in the United Kingdom. The interest in the learning of ancient Rome and Greece during the Renaissance leads to words of Latin and Greek origin entering English. Dr Samuel Johnson writes and publishes his dictionary, which standardises English spelling. Invasions of peoples from Northern Europe begin: Jutes, Angles and Saxons, speaking Germanic languages known as Anglo-Saxon. Celtic words are gradually replaced. English continues to spread as a global language thanks to the internet and cyberspace. It becomes more common as a second language in India and parts of Africa. After the Americas are discovered, the British Empire begins to expand throughout the world. Through commerce, war, invasion and the slave trade, words from Native American, Australian, Maori, Chinese and African languages enter English. The Romans land in Britain and soon colonise the islands. The ruling classes of Britain adopt Latin as an additional language. Some Latin place names are adopted. Old English has developed from Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse. Literature in this language flourishes. Jewish, Polish and other Eastern European peoples flee persecution in Russia and Germany. Many come to England but even more cross the Atlantic to America. The Bible is translated into English by John Wyclif. He uses the dialect used in London, helping this to become accepted as the standard.
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